Home Care

Begin the healing process with 2 - 4 weeks of rest.

Rest completely (other than walking for daily activities) for at least 2 weeks.

You can try other training activities, such as swimming or biking.

After 2 - 4 weeks, and when the pain is gone, you can start running again. Increase your activity level slowly. If the pain returns, stop exercising right away. Warm-up and stretch before and after any exercise.

Use ice or a cold pack over the area for 20 minutes, twice a day. Over-the-counter pain medications will also help.

Talk with your health care provider or a physical therapist about wearing the proper shoes, getting orthotics for your shoes, and running on the right types of surfaces.

Treatment depends on the cause of the problem.

Call your health care provider if

Although shin splints are seldom serious, you may need to call your health care provider if:

Home treatment will be prescribed for any of the different types of shin splints. Surgery may be needed in rare cases when shin splints caused by an anterior compartment syndrome do not go away over time.

The pressure can be relieved by splitting the tough, fibrous tissue that surrounds the muscles. Surgery may also be needed for stress fractures.

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